Damaged Russian ship docks with space station

Updated: 04/26/2013 3:36 PM KSTP.com

(AP) MOSCOW - A Russian cargo spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station, despite the failure of an antenna on its navigation system to deploy.

The unmanned Progress cargo ship was launched Wednesday from Russia’s main space facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The antenna didn’t deploy when the craft reached orbit and Russian mission control tried repeatedly to prod it into action.

However, the ship carrying more than three tons of food, oxygen, water and equipment was able to dock Friday on automatic pilot, according to video from Russian mission control. There were initial concerns the undeployed antenna might interfere physically with the docking.

The U.S. agency NASA said the space station crew would conduct leak checks and then unload the cargo.